


The Dragonsinger's Son

by divergary



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-18 16:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4713515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divergary/pseuds/divergary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After that fateful Halloween, Dumbledore left baby Harry on the Dursley's doorstep. However, instead of taking care of him, Vernon decides to abandon him in the woods. Fortunately for baby Harry, he is found by someone else before Dumbledore could bring him back. Read about a Harry Potter raised by loving parents. No pairings planned so far.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Abandoned

In the very early morning hours just before dawn, the peace of the Surrey neighborhood was shattered by the roar of a car engine. The car sped down the road at breakneck speed and was gone just as quickly as it came. The birds and small animals in the area that were actively foraging for their early morning breakfast scattered in fright at the sound and voiced their displeasure in their own way at having their routine disturbed in such a rude fashion. As it was the way of small animals everywhere, they soon overcame their fright and returned to their search for food.

 

It was fortunate for the occupants of the vehicle and for other drivers on the road that there were no other cars in the area at this early morning hour. Indeed, if there were any police vehicles that observed the speeding vehicle, they would have pulled it over and cited the driver for reckless endangerment and quite possibly taken the driver to jail. Since there was nothing and no one to impede its progress, the car sped on through the foggy pre-dawn gloom.

 

Inside the vehicle, the driver gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He kept his eyes straight ahead and ignored the fearful whimpers of the woman in the passenger seat and the hysterical screams of his young son strapped into his car seat behind him. He glanced into the rear view mirror and scowled at the... _other_ one, sleeping peacefully in a wicker basket as if _it_ didn't have a care in the world.

Vernon Dursley was a man on a mission, and that mission was to return his life and family to his idea of normal as soon as humanly possible. Oh, his life and the lives of his family were fine and dandy right up until the very early morning hours of November 2, 1981, when he was rudely awoken by the enraged screaming of his wife. He threw on a robe and ran downstairs as fast as his large frame could carry him to see his wife Petunia backing away from the open front door and pointing to a wicker basket placed on the stoop. Walking closer, he saw that there was a young black haired child with a nasty scar on his forehead sleeping peacefully in it. Looking around at the other houses to see if any of the neighbors heard his wife shout, he picked up the basket, closed the front door, and brought the basket inside and placed it on the dining room table.

Now that he didn't have to worry about something that his nosy neighbors might see and gossip about, he looked closer at the basket and the child inside. Tucked into the blanket that was wrapped around the child, he noticed an envelope made of a strange kind of paper with Petunia's name on it written in green ink. Pulling it out and turning it over, he saw that it wasn't sealed in the normal way, but had a wax seal with a strange symbol and name in the middle of it.

“Hogwarts? What kind of a name is that? Is it a place or a person? What do you know about this, Pet?” Turning to his wife, he saw that Petunia's complexion turned chalky white as she staggered back and sat down heavily on one of the dining room chairs. “Pet, are you all right? It sounds like you know something about this Hogwarts.”

Petunia weakly shook her head in response. “No, Vernon, I'm not all right! Hogwarts is the place where those... _freaks_ learn about... _magic_!” Vernon shivered as she said the last word in a hateful hiss. “If they wrote that letter, that means that the boy is one of _them_!” Again, the last word was spat out with more hate and venom than Vernon had ever heard come from his wife.

Blinking in a bit of shock, Vernon looked again at the letter in his hands. _'Maybe this will have some answers as to just what is going on'_ he thought as he looked back at Petunia. “It's addressed to you, do you want to open it?” She backed away as if the letter would burn her fingers if she touched it and shook her head. Sighing, Vernon broke the seal and unfolded the single page contained inside. Petunia looked over his shoulder as they both read.

_Dear Petunia Evans Dursley,_

_Greetings and Salutations. My name is Albus Percival Wulric Brian Dumbledore. We have never met, but we have corresponded in the past. It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I inform you that your sister and her husband were attacked last night by a dark wizard that goes by the name of Lord Voldemort and lost their lives in the encounter. You have my deepest condolences and I am very sorry for your loss._

_However, there is one happy note on this night of tragedy. Even though his parents were killed, somehow your young nephew Harry survived the encounter with the dark wizard. I'm not exactly sure how he managed to survive, but I suspect that it's the result of not only the protections that your sister built around him, but also of her selfless sacrifice so that her son could live. Because of this sacrifice, the protections around young Harry will remain active as long as he lives with someone of his immediate blood family. Sadly, since every member of James Potter's family is deceased, you have the distinction of being the last of Harry's blood kin._

_These protections are so powerful, they would extend to protect your family as well and hide your entire family from any wizards seeking to harm him and yourselves. Even though the dark wizard himself was defeated, his minions are still on the loose and are more than likely looking for revenge for their fallen Lord. All you have to do to enable these protections around your family is to take Harry into your home and treat him as one of your family._

_I am aware that unexpectedly taking another child into your family would create a harsh financial burden on yourselves. With that being said, I will deposit 500 pounds monthly into your bank account to offset the costs of raising young Harry. You will receive this amount monthly until Harry receives his Hogwarts letter when he turns eleven, after which new arrangements will be made._

_Remember, keep Harry with you and keep him safe._

_Albus Percival Wulric Brian Dumbledore_

Vernon crumpled the page in his fist and tried to tear it apart, but it resisted his attempts to destroy it. He could tell Petunia was angry as well by the death grip she had on his arm. Vernon was enraged that these _freaks_ would force this...this... _thing_ onto his nice, normal family without giving him a choice or a chance to say no.

He asked Petunia if they could simply dump _it_ off at an orphanage, but she said that there were ways they would know if they did that and bring _it_ back. So, in order to avoid any further contact with... _them_ , they came up with a plan to get rid of the abomination and keep the _freaks_ out of their life for good.

Vernon was originally going to do this alone, but Petunia didn't want to stay in the house in case _they_ came back to check to see if they took _it_ into their home. Of course, she didn't want to leave her precious Dudley alone so she strapped him into his car seat in the back. Vernon tried putting the basket with the _thing_ into the boot of the car, but the lid wouldn't close so he threw the basket into the back seat without securing it as if it was a load of laundry.

Driving out of Surrey as fast as the company car would go, Vernon searched for a place as far away from his house as possible to drop the _thing_ off. Oh, he wasn't going to kill _it_ himself, as Petunia felt that they had ways of knowing if he tried hurting _it_ , but if some animal came along and had a bit of a snack, oh well, no skin off his nose.

The sky was turning lighter when the car pulled off the main highway onto a dirt road that ran into some thick woods. After driving for several miles, Vernon pulled off to the side next to a clearing so he could turn the car around. He took the basket out of the back seat and left it at the base of a tree. He stood back and sneered at the contents of the basket for a moment, then went back to his car and drove away without looking back.


	2. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the wrong age, gender, and nationality to be JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter, dammit.

Excerpt – Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, pg. 478

  


_Of all the species of dragon scattered throughout the world, none is more wondrous or mysterious as the Eastern Siberian Ice Dragon. Magical taxonomists have known of their existence for centuries since the first recorded sighting that occurred in 1759. However, very little is known about their habits and lifestyle because of their reclusive nature and remote habitat._

  


_Like the Antipodean Opaleye, its coloration is completely white to help it blend in with its bleak surroundings. What is startling and unique about this dragon is that it is the only one in the world that has fur. The fur grows out from the spaces between the scales and covers the entire body, including the head. It is believed this layer of fur acts as an insulator to keep them warm during the harsh Siberian winters._

  


_However, the most astounding ability of the Eastern Siberian Ice Dragon is that it can apparate. Scientists who have studied these creatures have observed them flying in clear, blue skies and then disappearing in a swirl of ice and snow. This has also happened every time when someone decides to try and capture one of these beasts. Whenever their pursuers get close, they disappear in a swirl of ice and snow, never to be seen in that area again. This is why all our knowledge of these mysterious dragons is from long distance observation as none have ever been captured alive._

  


_Newt Scamander – Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them_

  


o0o0o0o

  


It was very fortunate for Vernon Dursley that his car didn't have a sunroof and that all his attention was focused on the road ahead of him. His attention was also focused on finding a good place to drop the _freak_ off and leave _it_ behind. If he did have the ability to look above him and see just what was shadowing his vehicle, he certainly would have suffered a massive heart attack upon seeing the huge creature flying silently above him.

  


Rashikira was beginning to become annoyed, and annoying a two ton, five meter long Eastern Siberian ice dragon was a very foolish and life-shortening thing to do. She and her Companion had made the jump to England earlier that morning when she felt the protections around a potential Companion begin to waver. Reappearing in the air over a subdivision of uniformly similar dwellings, they were able to witness a fat man nonchalantly shove a wicker basket into the back seat of a car before getting in and driving off, spinning his tires in his haste to leave. She was able to keep pace with the vehicle with only a little more effort than she expended during normal flight, but her Companion had to tuck in closer to her body to keep out of the slipstream as much as possible. Of course, the rushing wind made it impossible for him to be heard when he spoke normally, so the two conversed through mind speech.

  


Thankfully, her Companion's presence on her back was enough to calm her initial impulse to blast the fat human with her ice breath and shatter him into very small pieces with a swipe of her tail as soon as she could get to him. Just the mental image of that had her chuckling in amusement.

  


“ _What's got you cracking up, Rashi?”_

  


_:Oh, just picturing that fat slob shattering into a million pieces after freezing him solid with my breath and thumping him with my tail:_ Her Companion, who by now was used to the bloodthirsty ways of dragons and knew that she was joking, laughed along with her. 

  


“ _Actually, it would probably be a billion pieces, he's got enough mass for it. Unfortunately, we can't do anything to attract the attention of the British wizards. Freezing and shattering a fat muggle into very small pieces would be just the thing to get them sniffing around.”_

  


_:I know, I know, spoil all my fun, why don't you, Charlie?:_ Rashikira exaggerated a fake sigh. _:It's just that I thought we would be coming to England, make a quick pick up, and returning home. Instead, we're following around a crazy person hoping to be in the right place and on time to stop him from doing something stupid:_

  


“ _What makes you say he's a crazy person?”_ her Companion, Charlie Weasley asked.

  


_:Well, you can see the way he's piloting...:_

  


“ _Driving”_

  


_:Huh?:_

  


“ _It's called driving.”_

  


_:Oh, right...driving that...what do you call it? A car?:_

  


“ _Yes, a car.”_

  


_:Right, the way he's driving that car with his family inside? He is barely in control of it! Who else but a crazy person would risk their family like that?:_

  


“ _You do have a point, however, I think he's just scared. You did say they were just muggles?”_

  


Rashikira opened her senses and used her Sight on the speeding vehicle below her. With that ability, the metal of the roof of the car meant nothing to her since what she saw were the auras of the people inside. She actually had to lessen the power of her Sight when she looked into the back seat of the car.

  


_:Yes, two muggles, one that you would call a squib, and one so bright it almost hurts to look at with my Sight:_

  


“ _Can you tell if he has the Gift?”_

  


_:I won't know for sure until I can come into contact with him, but his aura is fairly similar to yours so it's a strong possibility:_

  


“ _That's something we'll check for when we can actually get to him. Anyway, back to what I was saying, I think the man or someone in his family has had some kind of contact with magic in the past. Magic is different as it is something they don't understand so that makes them afraid. It doesn't make sense, but people that are scared can and will do stupid things to get away from or get rid of the thing that frightens them. And right now they have a magical child in the car with them driving to who knows where. Let's hope that when he gets there he will just leave the child behind and walks away.”_

  


_:And if he decides to do something else with the child, I'll put a stop to it!:_ Rashikira growled threateningly. Charlie mentally added his agreement, hoping that the muggle did the smart thing and just leave.

  


The pair continued to shadow the speeding vehicle, watching carefully to see if it made any sudden turns off the main road. As the sky began to lighten, the car slowed down and turned down a dirt road that led into some deep woods. Rashikira easily kept the car in sight, since none of the trees branched over the dirt road to block her view. Charlie looked ahead and saw they were coming up on a clearing.

  


“ _I think he's going to stop soon. That clearing ahead looks like a place where he could turn his car around. Whatever he's going to do, that's probably where he is going to do it unless he goes further into the woods.”_

  


_:I agree, that's probably the most likely spot:_ Rashikira spared a quick glance further down the dirt road. _:I don't see any other clearings ahead of them, so this is where he might stop. Oh, look, he's slowing down. Get your wand ready, Charlie. I'll keep us in a banking turn once he stops so that you can have a clear shot at him in case he does try to hurt the boy:_

  


Charlie palmed his wand in his right hand and gripped the harness firmly with his left. When the car stopped completely, Rashikira glided in a right-banking circle, keeping the clearing in sight the entire time. Two pairs of eyes, one human and one draconian, never left the man as he hauled his enormous bulk out of the driver's door and moved to the door behind him. They watched him open the back door and roughly haul a wicker basket out of the back seat. Charlie's grip on his wand increased and he could feel Rashikira's muscles underneath him twitching in anticipation. The muggle walked to the nearest tree, bent down and placed the basket on the ground at its base. When the muggle stood back up, Charlie aimed his wand at his back with a stunning spell on his lips but held his fire. After standing there for a moment, the muggle turned around and walked back to his car. Neither Charlie nor Rashikira released their tension until the car turned around and left the clearing. Only when the glow of the headlights faded completely did the two finally relax.

  


_:Finally! I thought he would never leave! Good riddance!:_

  


“ _You can say that again! Is there enough clearance between trees for you to land and take off again?”_

  


_:Absolutely, no problem. There's plenty of room:_

  


“ _Then let's go down and see how the little guy is doing.”_

  


Rashikira banked around one more time so that she was aligned with the road. Coming in at a steep angle, she flared out when she passed the tops of the trees, backwinged twice, then settled to the ground gently and trotted to a stop. She then took five steps until she was standing at the base of the tree and looking down into the basket and the child sleeping inside. Charlie undid the straps of the riding harness, kicked one leg over Rashikira's back, and slid down her side to land in a crouch on the ground. He removed his gloves and goggles as he stood next to her head and also looked at the peacefully sleeping black-haired child.

  


“He's still sleeping? How can he stay asleep through that wild ride?” Charlie asked out loud.

  


_:The basket that he's in has sleeping and warming charms on it:_ Charlie looked up at Rashikira and saw her blue eyes glowing with the Sight.

  


“Well, that was considerate of whoever left him with magic-hating muggles. But to leave him with muggles in the first place... I wonder who did it?”

  


_:There's a letter tucked into the side of the basket. Maybe it will have some answers:_

  


Charlie moved the blanket to the side and saw a crumpled parchment. Pulling it out and smoothing out the creases so he could read it better, he lit his wand with a _lumos_ and started reading. He frowned when he saw who wrote the letter and wondered just what he was up to. He blinked his eyes in shock when he got to the part that You-Know-Who was defeated as this was the first time that he's heard of it. He frowned again when he read about the blood protections and how it would keep young Harry hidden from those who would harm him. Since his immediate blood family rejected him, did that mean the protections were no longer valid? Finishing the letter, he lowered it to his side and stared at the lightening horizon, struggling to order his chaotic thoughts. He felt a comforting weight on his shoulder and turned his head to look into the deep blue eyes of his dragon friend. He reached up and stroked the soft fur under her jaw and felt her purrs of pleasure rumble through his body.

  


_:This Dumbledore person sounds like he thinks he has all the answers to everything. Unfortunately, he didn't contend with a fearful muggle that did not want to go along with his plans:_ Charlie just shrugged, he knew Rashikira already read the letter while over his shoulder as he taught her how to read years ago. However, her comments didn't bring him any closer to the answers he sought.

  


“The letter says that he vanquished You-Know-Who! How in Merlin's name did he do that? He's still in nappies, for crying out loud!”

  


_:It's more than likely not entirely him that did it. Dumbledore wrote that his mother did cast protections on him. Maybe that's what caused this dark wizard's magic to turn against him?:_

  


“Maybe” Charlie agreed. “Or maybe there's something more to this child than meets the eye. You should check right now to make sure if he has the potential to be a Companion.”

  


Rashikira nodded her furry head and bent down to rub her soft nose on the boy's exposed forehead. When her snout came into contact with the lightning bolt scar, her eyes widened with shock and surprise. She sprung backward and landed in a threatening crouch, wings mantling, claws tearing up the ground, lips pulled back to expose her impressive teeth and snarling viciously. Startled by her behavior and thinking that she saw or heard something that he didn't, Charlie pulled his wand and scanned the surrounding woods for approaching threats.

  


“What is it, Rashi? Did you hear or see something?” Charlie asked as he continued to scan the woods. When she didn't answer, Charlie turned to look at the dragon who was still snarling angrily beside him. He noticed that her eyes were almost _burning_ with blue flames and saw that her gaze was locked not on the surrounding woods where he thought the threat was originating from, but on the child in the basket.

  


“Rashi?” She flicked her eyes toward him momentarily before turning back to the basket. He involuntarily took a step back in fear at the anger and hatred he saw in those burning blue orbs. Swallowing nervously, Charlie addressed her again.

  


“Rashi? Is there something wrong? Is there something I can do to help?” Rashikira seemed to deflate right in front of his eyes as she relaxed her posture and sighed tiredly.

  


_:No, Charlie, I'm not all right, and there's really nothing you can do to help:_ Charlie's jaw dropped open and staggered back a step in shock. Normally, his dragon friend was a very laid-back and easygoing individual. To see her this way was startling.

  


“What do you mean I can't help? That's what Dragon Companions are for! We do everything together as a team!” Charlie responded angrily.

  


_:I don't mean to say that to brush you off, Charlie:_ Rashikira responded contritely.  _:It's just that this is something that is beyond the abilities of both of us:_

  


“Why? What is it that is so bad that's got you so angry?”

  


_:Dark magic, the darkest magic imaginable. Magic so dark that dragons don't even have a name for it!:_

  


Charlie looked at the child in the basket as Rashikira was glaring at the boy while she was speaking.

  


“You're not seriously thinking that the BOY is made of dark magic, do you?” Charlie asked incredulously.

  


_:No, not the child, it's the scar that's radiating dark magic:_

  


“Can you tell what kind of dark magic it is? I have a brother who's a curse breaker in Egypt. Maybe he could help if we know what we're dealing with.”

  


_:Oh, I already know what it is because I've sensed them before. It is a fragment of a dark wizard's soul stuck in the scar. The reason that I say its a dark wizard's soul is that it takes someone truly twisted and evil to render something so pure and eternal in order to try and gain immortality:_

  


“Ah, so we're dealing with a horcrux.” Rashikira hissed in anger, even the _name_ of the abomination sounded evil!

  


_:So, wizards actually have a_ _name_ _for it?:_ Rashikira ground out in anger.

  


“Hey! Don't take your anger out on me! I'm only telling you what my brother told me that's what they're called because he sees them occasionally when digging around the tombs in Egypt. They usually deal with them by destroying them with basilisk venom or with _fiendfire._ I hope that's not what you're planning to do here, is it?”

  


_:Oh, I have a plan to deal with it, all right! I said that it's beyond our abilities to take care of, however, I didn't say that we couldn't ask for help! Tone down your mental connection with me for a little while Charlie, I'm about to get really loud!: _

  


Eyes wide when he realized just what she was doing, Charlie did as she requested until all he heard mentally from her was a quiet murmur. Rashikira then sat back on her haunches, took a deep breath, raised her muzzle to the sky, and let out an earth-shaking roar that startled every bird and small animal for miles around. The audible roar, however, was nothing compared to the mental call she sent out. Charlie was glad for her warning beforehand as her mental bellow at full volume in close proximity to her would have shattered his mind.

  


_**:BROTHERS, SISTERS, HEAR ME! I AM RASHIKIRA OF THE NORTH AND I AM IN NEED OF YOUR ASSISTANCE! I REQUEST THAT YOU COME TO MY LOCATION AND LEND ME YOUR MAGIC TO RID THE WORLD OF A DARK TAINT! I SHALL AWAIT YOUR ARRIVAL:** _

  


Finishing her summons, she dropped back down on all four limbs but kept her gaze on the sky above them. She looked at Charlie momentarily and winked at him before looking skyward again. After a few minutes, the sky above the trees seemed to be torn open as dragons began to appear. Most came in a flash of fire, however, two or three appeared in a swirl of snow as Rashikira would do and one even appeared in a torrent of leaves. All of them spiraled down in an orderly fashion, landed in the clearing, and trotted over to where Rashikira and Charlie were standing. A light brown Saharan Sandwyrm strode forward imperiously to look her in the eye.

  


_:Well, sister, we all heard your call and now we're here. What is it that you have need of us?:_ Charlie bristled at the blunt tone of the dragon but Rashikira didn't react at all. He had to mildly rebuke himself when he realized that this is just how dragons behaved. Even after all these years in their presence, he was still learning about them.

  


_:Brothers and sisters, I thank you for coming here on such short notice. I was coming to England to retrieve a potential Companion. When testing him to make sure, I sensed dark magic in the scar on his forehead...:_ Rashikira hesitated in her explanation and the Sandwyrm sensed her reluctance to continue.

  


_:Dark magic? What kind of dark magic do you speak of? If you're this hesitant to speak of it then it's probably...:_ Here the Sandwyrm hissed in anger.  _:Don't tell me it's a SOUL FRAGMENT! If it is, it must be destroyed immediately!:_ Upon speaking the words 'soul fragment', all the other dragons began roaring and hissing in anger along with the Sandwyrm. It took Rashikira a few minutes of roaring above them to get them to calm down.

  


_:PLEASE, listen to me! Yes, it is a soul fragment and yes, I want it destroyed as well, but its attached to a potential Companion, one of the strongest I have ever seen. We can't just destroy the child, we have to try and save him!:_

  


A small, green Amazonian Leaf Dragon that was about the size of a German Shepherd walked up and stood next to the Sandwyrm. His green eyes looked up into the blue ones of the Ice Dragon.

  


_:How do you propose we do that? Do you know of a magic that can overcome the cursed magic of a soul tearing ritual? I don't think you have it in you to accomplish that, sister:_ Again, Charlie huffed in irritation, but Rashikira continued calmly.

  


_:Yes, Baythas, I do know of a magic that can separate the soul fragment from its vessel, but the defensive magic of soul fragments is very strong. If it fights back from trying to be dispelled, its magic could overcome me and kill me if I tried to do it by myself. That's why I called all of you here, to lend me your strength and magic to keep me from being overwhelmed:_

  


_:And what's in it for us? What do we get from lending you our magic?:_ The Sandwyrm spoke up again.

  


_:Oh, I don't know, Vezoth, how about the world gets another Dragon Companion? After all, we have so many that we can just throw the spares away on just a whim!:_ Rashikira finished her tirade with an angry snarl. _:Don't be such a greedy idiot, you know how rare it is to come across a potential Companion! Who knows, when he grows up he may even find YOUR presence tolerable enough to bond with you someday!:_ Charlie heard and felt the deep rumbling that he knew was dragon laughter, as all the other dragons were amused by her quip. He kept his eye on the bellicose Sandwyrm to see if he would react to Rashikira's verbal barbs, but the beast bowed his head in acquiescence to her comments. Rashikira looked around at the other dragons in the clearing and was relieved to see that they would all lend their help.

  


She had Charlie take young Harry out of the basket and place him in the center of the clearing. As soon as he was taken out of the basket and its sleeping charm, Harry woke up and started fussing until Charlie placed his own sleeping charm on the boy. Rashikira then said to strip him down as any clothing would most likely be destroyed. Charlie proceeded to strip the child naked, placed a warming charm on his sleeping body, and then conjured a clean towel to lay him on so he wouldn't get dirty. He then walked away to stand by the trees. The other dragons stood in a circle with Rashikira standing over the sleeping child. Extending a claw on her left forepaw, she made a shallow cut on the pad of her right forepaw. Using the same claw, she then carefully followed the pattern of the lighting bolt scar on the boys forehead, cutting into it until it bled freely. She then smeared her own blood over the scar until it was completely covered.

  


_:Of this blood, I give freely:_ Rashikira chanted lowly.

  


_:Freely given, freely given:_ the other dragons took up the chant.

  


Bending down until her muzzle almost touched the scar, she started breathing blue flames on the boy's forehead. Charlie saw that the grass underneath him and Harry himself were unaffected, but the towel he was laying on started smoking.

  


_:Breath of life, I banish the darkness:_ Rashikira chanted as the flames steadily increased.

  


_:Banish the darkness, banish the darkness:_ the other dragons chanted as they breathed their own flames on Rashikira. Charlie saw that she wasn't burned and started to glow. _'So this must be how they transfer their magic from one to another'_ he thought to himself. Rashikira's flames continued to increase in intensity and Charlie could see that little Harry was starting to squirm in discomfort. The towel was ash by this time but Harry's skin was completely unmarked. Charlie's eyes widened when he figured that the horcrux was trying to fight back but was hampered by Harry's small body. Rashikira responded to this by doubling the strength of her flames and putting all her power combined with the borrowed power of the other dragons behind her effort. The other dragons sensed victory and increased the power lent to their sister. She roared as she poured her magic into destroying the soul fragment.

  


_**:YOU HAVE NO PLACE IN THIS VESSEL! I BREAK YOUR HOLD ON THE BOY!:** _ she roared. Her flame was so bright by this time that it hurt Charlie's eyes when he tried looking at it. Unseen by Charlie, a black mist oozed out of the scar on Harry's forehead and was instantly destroyed by the intense flames. An ear-splitting screech of rage, defiance and fear signaled the destruction of the horcrux and Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back into the circle to see a brightly glowing Rashikira standing over a baby that was looking up at her curiously. She bent down and nuzzled his stomach gently as Harry giggled happily. She then turned and looked at Charlie as he approached.

  


_:The fragment is destroyed. It must have been a small fragment or it wasn't very powerful because that was a lot easier than I thought:_

  


“EASY? You thought that was easy?”

  


_ :Yes, I do. I thought it would take almost all of our combined effort and energy to get rid of it, but I didn't have to use too much of the extra magic the others lent me. Speaking of that...: _ Turning to the other dragons, she walked up to them one at a time and breathed her own blue flames on them until the glow surrounding her dissipated. She then stood back in the middle of the circle and looked each one in the eye.

  


_ :Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for lending your aid this day. Because of your efforts, the world would have one more Dragon Companion to keep our kind safe. Again, I thank you: _ She then bowed low so that her head was almost touching the ground. Charlie, who had a cleaned and dressed Harry held in his arms, also bowed low in respect to the other dragons. The gathered dragons returned the bow and one at a time, sprang aloft and returned to their homes, each in their own way. 

  


When the last dragon disappeared, Charlie took out his wand and erased any evidence of dragons being in the area. He then picked up the basket and letter and mounted Rashikira with Harry firmly wrapped up in his warm coat. Securing himself to the harness, he signaled Rashikira that he was ready. She sprang aloft with a powerful downstroke of her wings and disappeared in a swirl of snow once she cleared the tops of the trees.

  


Harry Potter would not be seen in England for a long time to come.


	3. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the wrong age, gender, and nationality to be JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter, dammit.
> 
> A/N: Oopsie. It seems in my zeal to have Charlie Weasley find Harry as a baby I forgot to do a little research. According to canon , Charlie would have been 9 years old in 1981. Again, oopsie, but since Charlie Weasley is going to be a major character in this story, I'm not going to change it. Lets just assume he and his older brother Bill have already graduated and working their careers at this time. It's fan fiction, so deal with it.

Excerpt – A History Of Magic, pg. 257-259

_Taking up a large part of the exact center of Romania, the province of Transylvania is both well known and avoided with an almost religious fervor by both muggles and magicals alike. Historically, the province is known as the birthplace of the Romanian nobleman Vlad Tepes, who upon his turning became the infamous vampire known as Dracula. His infamy stemmed from the fact that unlike most other vampires who only occasionally attack humans, his lust for human blood knew no bounds._

_Many unexplained disappearances and deaths centered around the Transylvanian Alps occurred with startling regularity beginning in the late 1400's. For nearly four centuries, these disappearances were limited to the province of Transylvania exclusively and everyone avoided that area like the plague. Unfortunately, like a plague, the disappearances started spreading outward from the mountains. Beginning in the early 1800's, the people of entire towns and villages started disappearing without a trace._

_One of the villages that was close to the mountains was an enclave of wizards who knew exactly what was causing these problems and knew how to deal with it. However, when the vampire horde descended on their village, they were astonished at the sheer number of vampires that were attacking them. For two nights they managed to keep the vampires out of their village, but constantly fighting and casting spells almost nonstop for two straight nights was starting to exhaust them._

_On the morning of the third day, they sent messages by owl, runner, and patronus asking for aid and hoping that help would arrive in time. Their own ministry scoffed at their reports and refused to send help believing that they were 'chasing shadows'. A few uncles and siblings that were living in other areas arrived that afternoon saying they were there to help, but the villagers felt that it was a case of 'too little, too late'. With no other choice, they dug in and hoped that some other form of help would arrive in time. When darkness fell and the vampires were massing on the outskirts of the village to attack, help did arrive. It's just that the help came in the form that the wizards weren't expecting._

_Dragons. Hundreds of massive winged beasts of all shapes, sizes, and colors swooped down from the night sky without warning. Breathing fire, lava, lightning, and even ice the dragons ripped through the ranks of the undead horde like a whirling dervish, leaving broken corpses, blackened bones, and smoldering ash in their wake. On numerous instances throughout the battle, several dragons at a time would break off from the ones flying overhead to pounce on groups of vampires and use their teeth, claws, tail, and even the sharp edges of their wings to rip dozens of vampires apart at a time._

_The astonished wizards also noticed that the dragons would occasionally scoop up a vampire and take it aloft, tearing the screaming creature apart and casually eating it while flying over the battlefield. In short order, the battle became a rout and the vampires turned and fled to the safety of the mountains with the majority of the dragons in hot pursuit. A raucous cheer went up from the assembled wizards that lasted only a few moments. Their silence came from the shock of seeing twelve dragons break off from the main swarm that was chasing the fleeing vampires and land on the outskirts of the village. What was so amazing to the wizards is that each dragon had a human rider on their backs!_

_A man riding a completely black dragon removed his gloves and eyepieces, unhooked himself from a saddle, kicked one leg over the dragon's head, and slid down its side to land lightly on the ground. Giving the dragon a pat on the side of the head, the man walked toward the wizards, stopping halfway between the edge of the village and the dragons behind him. Sensing that the man only wanted to talk, the village leaders walked out from behind their barricades to meet him on the blackened ground._

_After thanking him and his comrades for their timely arrival, they found out his name was Andrew Van Helsing, a Dutch squib and also identifying himself as something called a Dragon Companion. When asked if that was the reason why he was able to ride a dragon, he smiled and said, 'Something like that'. Before the wizards could ask any further questions, Van Helsing asked them if they knew where the vampires came from. When one of them responded that they suspected the vampires came from Castle Dracula, both Van Helsing and the black dragon behind him snarled angrily. He suddenly spun around, sprinted to the side of the dragon, vaulted into the saddle, signaled to the other riders and dragons, then as a group rose into the air to rejoin the other dragons chasing the vampire horde. The wizards of the village could only gape in awe as the group of dragons disappeared into the night._

_It is believed that Van Helsing and his dragons followed the retreating vampires to their stronghold and destroyed them. It is only speculation so far in that no one has ever been able to contact Van Helsing to confirm or deny this story. However, since no new vampire attacks occurred for several months after the dragons came, a few intrepid explorers set out into the mountains to investigate._

_The path was easy to follow, an unbroken trail of burnt ground and broken corpses littered the countryside all the way to the scorched ruins of what was once a magnificent castle. Here, the explorers were cautious, not because they were entering the stronghold of a powerful vampire, no, they were on their guard because there were a large number of dragons sunning themselves on the ledges surrounding the ruins. The dragons didn't seem to mind their presence, so they continued their investigation. A thorough search of the ruins found only corpses, one of which had a gold chain around its headless neck bearing the crest of the house of Dracula. Upon finding this, the explorers sent out messages confirming the happy news, the vampire lord was destroyed, the threat ended._

_To this day, the people of central Romania continue to revere the name of Andrew Van Helsing and the dragons that came to their rescue. It is no accident that the people of Romania set aside the mountains of Transylvania as a dragon sanctuary and as of this writing it is currently the largest dragon reserve in the world._

_Bathilda Bagshot – A History Of Magic_

**o0o0o0o**

Even though the calendar indicated it was late Fall, an early snowfall painted the high peaks of the Transylvanian Alps a brilliant white. Barely noticed amongst the swirling flakes that continued to fall, a white dragon with two passengers appeared in their own swirl of ice and snow. Circling around for a moment to orient herself, the dragon folded her wings and seemingly dived headfirst into the side of one of the highest mountain peaks! Instead of smashing into broken bloody pieces against unyielding rock, the dragon and passengers seemingly merged with the mountain, leaving no evidence of their passing. Unseen by anyone outside the large hidden cavern, the dragon spread out her impressive wingspan to slow her descent and aimed for a large ledge inside the immense cavern. Backwinging until she was nearly hovering, she alighted gently onto the rocky outcropping and folded her wings to her sides. Walking to the center of the shelf, she turned her head to regard her passengers.

_:How is he doing, Charlie? Is he safe? Did he make it through okay?:_

Charlie couldn't help the chuckle that rolled forth, Rashikira sounded so much like his mother! He opened his jacket to see young Harry sleeping peacefully. He took him out and cradled him in his arms. Young Harry gripped the blanket he was wrapped in, yawned widely, then went back to sleep.

"Yeah, Rashi, he's fine. However, I'm going to have to go into town to get some supplies. We've got nothing here to take care of a human baby. Even though I can use cleaning charms on his nappies, I'm still going to need a lot of things that I won't be able to conjure or transfigure. I'm going to have to get clothes, food, bedding, nappies, and lots of other things."

_:Very well, Charlie. Do you need a lift to the edge of town like we've done before?:_

"No, for this short of a distance I can easily apparate. I'd like for you to stay here and watch over him until I get back. The sleeping and warming charms that I've placed on him should last until then." Rashikira laid down on her belly with her forepaws in front of her, just like a huge cat.

_:Go ahead and lay him down on my forelegs, Charlie. I'll keep him company until you return:_

Charlie took the child in his arms and laid him on the soft fur of Rashikira's forelegs. The dragon lowered her head until she was eye level with the sleeping child. She then brought both wings forward until they were folded in front of her so that it covered her paws and head. Charlie snickered in amusement when he thought that her overlapped wings looked like a tent.

_:What's so funny?:_

"You look like a camping tent!"

The wings parted just enough for Charlie to see the top of the dragon's head and a baleful blue eye staring at him.

_:Don't you have somewhere to go?:_ she asked waspishly.

"All right, all right, I'm going! Sheesh, some dragons have NO sense of humor!"

_**:SHOO!:**_ she snarled at him.

"Yipe!"

When Charlie disappeared with a crack, Rashikira then snickered to herself. She knew she didn't really scare him, it was just a game they played with each other. Lowering her head and closing her wings to keep the heat inside, the fur of her lower jaw brushed across the boy's forehead and momentarily disturbed his sleep. Opening his eyes for a few seconds, his green eyes met the slit-pupilled blue ones of the dragon watching over him.

_:Go back to sleep, young Harry. I'll be here to protect you:_ Harry then smiled, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep. Before he did, however, Rashikira was startled when she felt the faintest touch of another mind touching hers. The unknown mind didn't say much, just a single word...

" _Mama."_

**o0o0o0o**

Charlie reappeared with a softer 'crack' of displaced air on the outskirts of the wizarding village of Balaur, snorting and laughing at himself. He loved the playful nature of his dragon friend and knew that he would have to do something to get even with her later on. In the meantime, he had supplies to gather.

Walking into town, he noticed that there were a lot of people out and about and almost all of them seemed quite happy. Everyone was smiling and greeting each other and talking excitedly. There were even a few couples dancing in the middle of the street! Passing close to a large pub, he could hear the sounds of people drinking and having quite a party. Looking through the open door, he saw that the patrons inside were quite a bit drunk and were having a grand time. His curiosity piqued, he went inside to speak with the proprietor, a man he was on a friendly basis with. Shouldering his way through the crowd, he smiled and waved when he saw the owner behind the bar. The bartender returned his wave and shouted his greeting.

" _Buna Ziua_ , Charlie! How are you this fine day, my English friend?" The owner was a large, barrel-chested, balding, middle-aged man who used his large size and gruff demeanor to deal with unruly patrons. So, needless to say, it was a bit unusual to see him cheerful and smiling.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today, Anton. _Buna Ziua_ to you as well. I'm doing fine, so thanks for asking. Been out and about running a few errands today and noticed people celebrating. What's the occasion?"

"You haff not heard?" Anton raised his large, bushy eyebrows in surprise.

"Heard what?" Charlie had a good inkling of what was happening, he just wanted it confirmed.

"You-Know-Who is dead! Was killed Halloween night!"

"He's dead?" Charlie faked surprise. "Who's the one that did the dark bastard in? Was it Dumbledore?"

" _Nu, nu_ , not Dumbledore. All messages say was Harry Potter did it. Calling him The-Boy-Who-Lived."

"The-Boy-Who-Lived? What a silly name! What happened where they would call him that?"

"Messages say You-Know-Who attacked Potter house and killed his parents. When he tried to kill Harry, he got blown up instead, all is left behind were burnt robes. Little Harry lived with scar on forehead in the shape of lightning bolt. That's all I haff heard about it."

Charlie frowned as he disseminated this information. Apparently, someone is feeding the people a bill of goods, and ever since he saw the letter in Harry's basket, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was Dumbledore. The only questions that remained were why was he doing this and what did he hope to gain? Putting out this information would only paint a large target on Harry's back, so again the question was _why_? His ruminations were interrupted by Anton laying a hand on his forearm. He looked up into the worried eyes of his bartender friend.

"Charlie, you all right? You looked like you mad about somefing."

"I'm all right, Anton." Charlie responded with a smile. "I've just got a lot on my mind right now. I best get going, I have a bit of shopping to do." Anton gave him a suspicious look for a few moments, but then nodded his head and gave him a stern look.

" _Foarte bine_ , Charlie, much luck trying to get through crowds. Come by house to visit sometime. Stefana says you don't come by enough and misses you. Says something like you only source of intelligent conversation around here." He then laughed at his own joke.

"Ha! I'll try to make it by sometime soon then, can't deprive your wife of good gossip now, can we? Of course, I can't overlook the fact that she makes an out- _stand_ -ing kielbasa stew!" After shaking Anton's hand, Charlie turned to leave but before he made it out the door he bumped into one of the few people that he didn't want to meet.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Dragonsinger himself! Decided to come down from your high mountain and grace us lowly mortals with your presence, Weasley?" The man blocking his path was taller than he was, but was quite a bit thinner. The two others that were with him were shorter and just as thin as he was. All three of them were also quite drunk.

"Smythe." He regarded Smythe's compatriots. "Chambers, Wells." Charlie lowered his head and shook it slowly side to side, he didn't want to deal with this right now. "How many times must I tell you that I wasn't _singing_ to that Longhorn...!"

"It certainly looked like you were!" Smythe interrupted him. "Why else would it be dancing side to side like it did?"

"BECAUSE HE COULDN'T SEE ME CLEARLY, YOU IDIOT!" Charlie roared at him. He didn't notice right then, but the entire pub was silently watching the drama unfold before them. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he grit his teeth and continued in a normal conversational tone, however, his words came out in a snarl.

"If you remember, dumbass, he was injured in a fight and blinded in one eye, but you and the rest of your cronies decided to start firing spells at him! They may have only been stunners, but he didn't know that, all he knew was that he was being attacked! He was hurt, scared, and angry and all you were doing was making it worse, and you call yourselves dragon handlers! I had to petrify the three of you to get you to stop!" At this reminder of their humiliation, they started to go for their wands but Charlie smirked at them.

"Go ahead, pull those wands. Remember, I took down all three of you just by my lonesome. And that was when you had your wands out and weren't drunk as skunks like you are right now. So, if you want a very public spanking in front of all these people, I'm ready to oblige." Charlie stood with his arms relaxed by his sides but was ready to flick his wand out of its holster in an instant. Smythe, Chambers, and Wells seemed to sense this as well so they backed off.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, now I remember. Anyway, after petrifying the three of you the Longhorn was still highly irritated, but without spells being fired at him he calmed down quickly. After letting him settle down, I approached him slowly on the side that had his good eye. When he saw me, he moved his head side to side because with only one good eye he DIDN'T HAVE ANY DEPTH PERCEPTION! That's why he looked like he was dancing! Now, I've told you this twice already and this makes it the third time, but you can't seem to get it through that thick, stupid head of yours! Just so you understand, this is the last time I'm going to explain it to you. Next time you bring it up, I'm going to bring out my fists. Maybe a good, solid thumping will be what you need to get a thought into that pea-brain of yours. Understand, Smythe?" Charlie stared into the bloodshot, hate-filled eyes of his rival for a few moments before catching the gaze of first Wells and then Chambers. He then shoved Smythe to the side and walked to the door. Before he made it out of the pub, Smythe tried provoking Charlie again.

"That's right, run on back to that white runt you hang around with all the time! You should be more like us and hang around a real dragon like a Hungarian Horntail for a change!" Smythe laughed as if he made a great joke. Wells and Chambers joined in the laughter but Charlie just looked over his shoulder without fully turning around.

"Tell me, Smythe, how's the hand?"

The laughter stopped instantly and Smythe took an angry step forward. His hand was the reason that he hated Charlie Weasley and his dragon so much! That blasted furred dragon froze off four of his fingers on his left hand, leaving only his pinky. What was worse is that nothing the healers did could reverse the damage. Even now, he wore a prosthetic glove to hide his injury. Charlie just smirked at Smythe's impotent rage and walked out the door.

**o0o0o0o**

The rest of Charlie's shopping trip was uneventful despite the large crowds. It didn't take long for him to find everything he needed, shrinking them down to fit into his pockets as he purchased them. After buying the last item, he walked back to the edge of town, concentrated on his destination, then spun in place and disappeared with a _crack_. Reappearing in the cavern he shares with Rashikira, he smiled when he saw that she still held her wings in the same tent shape that she made earlier. Hearing his arrival, she opened her wings and raised her head to look at him.

_:What took you so long, Charlie? Did you not find everything you need?:_

"Yes, I did find everything I needed and I'm sorry it took so long, but I ran into Smythe before I went shopping."

_:Oh, you did, did you? How's his hand?:_ Rashikira asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"HA! That's just what I asked him. Apparently, he's still wearing that prosthesis. Looks like the healers couldn't fix that damage you did to his hand."

_:The damage to his hand will NEVER be healed!:_ Rashikira growled in remembered anger. _:I pushed my magic into a curse as well as using my ice breath to freeze his hand. That's what he deserves for insulting me!:_

Charlie smirked evilly at the memory. At the time, Smythe was a new transfer from a Welsh preserve and was used to seeing dragons at a distance or stunning them if they had to work with them up close. So when he saw Charlie casually stroking Rashikira's fur, he thought that she was a tame dragon. When he walked right up to her with his left hand extended as if to pet her, she let loose with her ice breath before he could touch her. She aimed for his whole arm, but his quick reflexes saved everything but his thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. With just a pinky, his hand might as well be useless.

_: He thought I was a..a...PET! He thought he could come to me and pet me whenever he wanted! He didn't even ask, all he did was walk up to me! I am NOT a pet! Of course, you can stroke my fur only because I allow it and I actually DO like it, but to have a stranger just walk up to me and pet me? NEVER!:_ Charlie could tell that Rashikira was getting very upset, so he did the thing that she allowed him to do and started stroking the fur on her chin. It didn't take long for the angry blue flames in her eyes to die down and for her to start purring in pleasure.

"You're definitely not a pet, Rashi, but you sure sound like a cat when you do that!" Charlie snorted in amusement.

_:Well, I can certainly see why cats do it if them getting petted feels as good as this. Ohhh, a little more to the left, Charlie. Ahhh, that's the spot, right therrrreee...:_ Rashikira's deep rumbles of pleasure was loud enough to wake baby Harry, who started to get fussy. She blinked her large, blue eyes and looked down at the baby wriggling on her forelegs.

_:Umm, oops?:_ Rashikira said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, Rashi, he's slept enough." Charlie laughed as he picked up the squirming infant. "It's time for the little guy to get fed and changed and maybe show him around his new home." With Harry in his arms, he walked to another part of the cavern that he set up as his home. Setting Harry down on his bed, he took out his shrunken purchases, re-sized them, and quickly had the new furniture and supplies set up. He then cleaned, changed, and fed Harry who showed his appreciation by belching contentedly. Harry then looked around with wide eyes at his new surroundings.

_:You want to raise him here?:_ Rashikira asked as she followed Charlie to the part of the cavern that he set up as his home.

"Sure, why not?' Charlie replied as he set Harry in his playpen. Harry ignored his toys and continued to look around the cavern. "I can't think of a better protected place than a dragon's home, can you?"

_:You're right, Charlie, he'll be plenty safe here. Plus, being in the middle of the largest congregation of dragons in the world is a pretty good deterrent to anyone nosing around. However, there is one more thing that you can do to protect him further:_

"Oh? What did you have in mind, Rashi?"

_:Make him your family:_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun dun, how nasty of me to leave this with a cliffhanger! Mwahahaha!
> 
> Anyway, I should have the next chapter up in about a week (maybe sooner, depending on my schedule).
> 
> See you then and remember, please leave a review after reading.
> 
> Buna Ziua – Good day
> 
> Nu, nu – No, no
> 
> Foarte bine – Very well


	4. Adopted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm the wrong age, gender, and nationality to be JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter, dammit.

Excerpt – A History Of Magic, pg. 156, paragraph 4

 

_In the wake of the Goblin Rebellion of 1612, a treaty was drafted and signed by members of the then fledgling Wizengamot and the leader of the Goblin clans, Ragnok the First. The treaty managed to not only quell the unrest and resentment fomented between Goblins and Wizards, it granted far-reaching powers to the Goblins themselves. In concession to the promise of never again taking up arms against wizards, the goblin leader demanded complete control of all banking affairs in the Wizarding world. Thus, to this day, any endeavor involving money outside of business licensing is handled exclusively through the goblins of Gringotts._

 

_Bathilda Bagshot – A History Of Magic_

 

**o0o0o0o**

 

 

 

“Wh-what?” Charlie stammered in shock when he heard Rashikira's suggestion.

 

_:You heard me, make him your family. You remember the part of the letter where that Dumbledore person said that he cast powerful protections based off his family's blood? Well, taking him into your family should see those additional protections remain with him and keep him safe here. After all, his so-called family DID abandon him:_

 

“B-but Rashi, the only way to do that would be with a blood adoption ritual and the only way to get one done is to go through the goblins of Gringotts!” Charlie exclaimed.

 

_:Nonsense!:_ Rashikira snorted. _:You British wizards have conceded so much powers to the goblins that it's a wonder that you can get anything done at all! It's something that any magical being can do, you don't need the goblins for it:_

 

“Rashi, I don't know the first thing about how to properly perform a blood adoption ritual! What if I did something wrong and inadvertently hurt him or even worse, _killed_ him?”

 

_:You won't get it wrong, Charlie, because I'll be there to talk you through it. I've managed to learn a lot over the centuries and this ritual is one of them. Besides, I have a good feeling about young Harry and I want to participate in the ritual as well:_

 

In his panic, it momentarily slipped Charlie's mind that Rashikira was a LOT older than she looked and remembered that she had bonded with quite a few wizards in her past, which is most likely when she learned the proper procedures of the ritual. He was relieved that she knew what to do in order to perform the ritual safely, but blinked and shook his head when he recalled what else she just said.

 

“Wait just a minute, did you just say that YOU wanted to perform the ritual as well? How would that work anyway, a dragon adopting a human child? Is that even possible?”

 

_:It's possible because our legends say it is. Granted, far more human children have died during the ritual than survived, simply because they had no emotional attachment to the dragon performing it, but I'm absolutely sure that Harry will be all right:_

 

“Whoa, whoa, back up a bit! You're going to do something that even YOU say has been successful only in LEGENDS? And you want to do this with Harry? Why? Why would you want to do something so risky? How would Harry benefit from you adding your blood to the adoption ritual? And for Merlin's sake, what makes you so sure that Harry would survive it?”

 

By the time Charlie finished his tirade, he was nearly screaming. He then stood still, breathing hard with his fists clenched to his sides and glaring at the white dragon who was gazing back at him calmly. When Rashikira responded, Charlie's anger dissipated nearly instantly when he heard the serene, almost... _happy_ tone of her voice. There was also no mistaking the crinkles at the corners of her eyes that passed for a dragon's smile.

 

_:Because, Charlie, he called me Mama:_

 

Charlie blinked. “Say that again?”

 

_:He called me Mama. He was smiling when he said it AND he was using Mindspeak as well. I am confident that the combination of his potential to become a Companion, his already powerful aura, his current ability to speak to my mind, and with him recognizing me as his mother, it will be enough for magic to accept the ritual and acknowledge him as my son:_

 

The silence after her remark stretched out to almost a minute before Charlie could gather his thoughts. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything useful to say.

 

“Ummm, okay, this is something I've never heard of before.”

 

_:It's something NO ONE has ever heard of before, Charlie, both human and dragon. I DID say that it was the stuff of legends, and DRAGON legends at that!:_

 

“Yeah, that you did.” Charlie replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry for yelling at you like I did.”

 

_:That's all right, Charlie, I don't blame you one bit. You were just worried for young Harry's safety, but I am very certain that he would be all right:_

 

“Okay, umm, wow, this is a lot to take in! Right, I have some questions. Besides not being harmful to Harry which you've already answered, what other benefits would he gain from this? Would he still grow up normally as a human child?”

 

_:He won't grow scales or fur or sprout wings if that's what you're worried about, so he would be normal as any human child. His eyes may become slit-pupilled when he gets angry, but that could be covered by a glamour. He would instinctively know how to speak to any dragon even if he isn't bonded with one. He would be slightly stronger both physically and magically than a normal human and may have greater resistance to spells. Other than that, I can't think of anything else that could happen to him:_

 

Charlie stood and thought it over for a few minutes. After weighing the pros and cons, he smiled and nodded his head.

 

“All right, let's do this! What do we have to do first?”

 

_:I knew I could count on you, Charlie:_ Rashikira said happily. _:Right, what you need to do first is clear an area of the cavern floor to make it big enough to draw a circle. The circle has to be large enough for all three of us to fit inside:_

 

As Charlie moved items to the walls of the cavern, he asked, “Do you need special materials to make the circle?”

 

_:No, it could be made with anything, the materials are of no importance. What IS important is that the circle CANNOT be broken while we are performing the ritual! That's why it wouldn't be a good idea to use sand or water to make the circle, a careless tail swipe or gust of wind could ruin it. What I would suggest is to use chalk. When you draw it, keep in mind that the circle MUST be continuous, there can't be ANY gaps at all!:_

 

“Would conjured chalk work?”

 

_:As long as the conjuration lasts until the ritual is finished, conjured chalk is fine:_

 

After clearing the space, Charlie paced off the distance, going in several directions to make sure there was enough room inside the completed circle for Rashikira to fit. He then conjured a thick, ten inch piece of chalk and a four foot long pole. Attaching the chalk to the end of the pole with a sticking charm, he started walking in a big circle with the pole dragging the ground, leaving a chalk trail behind him. Once the initial trace was made, he went over the marks several times making sure there were no gaps. Checking it over and satisfied with his work, he turned to the white dragon for the next step.

 

_:Now, we have to step into the circle, making sure not to disrupt it:_

 

“Do we need anything else?” Charlie asked.

 

_:You have your knife with you?:_

 

Charlie raised the edge of his jacket to show the ever-present knife in its sheath on his belt.

 

_:Good. Pick up Harry and bring him into the circle:_

 

Charlie went to Harry's playpen and bent down to pick him up. Harry lifted his arms and hooked them around Charlie's neck when he lifted him out of the playpen. Setting Harry on his hip, Charlie made an exaggerated step over the line and moved to the center of the circle. Rashikira was much more careful stepping into the circle, lifting her tail and wings while making large, exaggerated steps like Charlie did. Once she had all four limbs completely inside the circle and was sure she was clear of the edge, she curled her tail around her paws and sat on her hindquarters.

 

“What comes next?” Charlie asked.

 

_ :Now, we seal the circle. Place the tip of your wand on the inside edge of the circle, Charlie, I'll be doing the same with the tip of one of my claws. When I tell you, push with your magic while intoning the phrase, ' circulus signari testamentum', I'll be doing the same. That will seal the circle and keep out any magic that may interfere with the ritual: _

 

Charlie nodded, took out his wand, and carefully placed it at the edge of the chalk circle. Rashikira extended her foreleg and placed the tip of a claw next to Charlie's wand and also touching the circle. With a nod from Rashikira, they simultaneously pushed with their magic while intoning;

 

“ _ **:Circulus Signari Testamentum:”**_

 

The circle, which was once chalk, now looked like liquid silver that was pulsing with a blue fire. The fire lifted up toward the ceiling and then curved inward when it got above their heads. An open circle above them got smaller and smaller until it closed with a 'snap'. Rashikira looked up and around herself then nodded once, satisfied that the circle was sealed.

 

_:Alright, Charlie, take out your knife and clean it thoroughly. You also need to do the same to your right hand and to Harry's right hand. You also need to clean the claws on my left forepaw and the pads of my right forepaw:_

 

As Charlie took out his knife and whispered  _ scourgify  _ as he pointed his wand at it _ ,  _ he grumbled, “All this  _ preparation _ ! When are we going to get to the actual  _ ritual _ ?” Charlie tried keeping his voice low, but Rashikira, with her sensitive hearing, heard him perfectly.

 

_ :Oh, Charlie: _ she rumbled in draconic laughter.  _ :We started the ritual as soon as we sealed the circle! That was the first step, called the Sealing. I already said that it's meant to keep out any foreign magics that could interfere with the ritual. The next step is the Purification which is what you're doing right now. Just like we don't want anything magical to cause problems, you don't want anything physical to disrupt the ritual, like a stray piece of dirt. What comes next is the Sharing, where you and Harry will make a cut on your palm and I will use my claw to make a cut on my right forepaw. Then, at the same time, we will drip seven drops of our blood onto the cut on Harry's palm while we invoke the Oath. That's where we use our full names and swear to the best of our abilities to raise and take care of Harry. The final part is the Naming. Since he is going to be one of our family, he would need a new name. However, we can't completely drop the Potter in his name: _

 

Charlie nodded, it made sense to him. They weren't getting rid of all the Potter blood in Harry's veins, just adding a bit of their own. The Potter family, while not filthy rich, were a highly influential family and moderately wealthy by wizarding standards. He was sure that James and Lily Potter drew up a will and that Harry will at least be named in it if not the sole beneficiary. Making inquiries with the goblins of Gringotts would go MUCH smoother if Harry retained Potter as part of his name.

 

“I agree, we should keep Potter as part of his name, although I'm thinking of changing his first name to Henry. What were you thinking of naming him, Rashi?” Charlie asked as he _scourgified_ his hands.

 

_:Arlen:_

 

“Arlen? Did you know someone named Arlen? Nothing wrong with the name, it's just that I'm curious.”

 

_ :I knew Arlen a long time ago, he was one of the High Elves: _ Rashikira said with emotion in her voice. The next part came out so softly that Charlie barely heard it.  _ :He was also my very first Companion: _

 

Rashikira's comment nearly made Charlie drop his wand just when he was about to use a gentle _scourgify_ on Harry's hands. He turned to look into her slit-pupilled blue eyes and saw infinite sadness there. Even after all these many years, her first companion held a special place in her heart. He then made a decision that he knew would cheer her up.

 

“Henry Arlen Weasley-Potter. Has a nice ring to it, do you think?” Charlie could see the sadness dissipate almost instantly as the crinkles returned to the corners of her eyes.

 

_:I think it sounds wonderful, Charlie. Thank you:_

 

Charlie returned the smile and re-cast the cleaning spell on Harry's hands. He then cast the same spell on both of Rashikira's forepaws. She was sitting back on her haunches, keeping her forelimbs off the ground and using her tail for balance. Just as Charlie was getting ready to make the cut on Harry's palm, he hesitated.

 

“Rashi, would a numbing charm on Harry's hand affect the ritual?”

 

_:No, it wouldn't, since the intent behind the spell is to help instead of hurt or hinder it shouldn't affect it in any way:_

 

Charlie nodded, cast the numbing charm on Harry's hand, re-holstered his wand, then used the knife to make a shallow cut across Harry's palm. Harry, for his part, remained calm and still. He looked at the blood pooling in his palm in fascination. Charlie then placed the blade against his right palm and with a wince, drew the blade across it then squeezed his fist to keep it from dripping on the floor. Looking to Rashikira, he watched her use her claw to make an incision on the side of one of her pads. When the blood was freely flowing, she looked up and met Charlie's eyes.

 

_:I don't need to coach you for the next part, Charlie. As long as the Oath is coming from your heart, you will find the right words to say. First, speak your full name and let your blood mingle with Harry's, then speak the words of the Oath. Remember, let it come from the heart and magic will take care of the rest. I, of course, will be right next to you doing the same:_

 

Charlie took another breath to steady his nerves and gently took Harry's right hand in his left. Holding the child's bleeding palm upward, he opened his right hand over it and allowed the blood to drip down onto Harry's hand. Rashikira had her paw right next to his, letting her blood drip onto the child's palm. After they both let seven drops of their blood fall into Harry's palm, they pulled their lightly bleeding limbs away from the cut so more wouldn't fall onto it. Throughout all this, Harry continued to remain calm. With another breath, both Charlie and Rashikira began their Oath.

 

“I Charles Septimus Weasley...”

 

_:I Rashikira Northborn...:_

 

After they recited their names, the rest of the Oath continued in a strange synchronicity as they said the exact same words at the same time. As they were speaking, a golden glow surrounded all three of them that got brighter as the Oath progressed.

 

“ _ **:Do hereby give my Oath...:”**_

 

“ _ **:That upon my Honor...:”**_

 

“ _ **:My Magic...:”**_

 

“ _ **:My Life...:”**_

 

“ _ **:And my very Soul...:”**_

 

“ _ **:Do hereby Swear to protect...:”**_

 

“ _ **:nurture...:”**_

 

“ _ **:raise...:”**_

 

“ _ **:defend...:”**_

 

“ _ **:and love...:”**_

 

“ _ **:the One we Name...:”**_

 

“ _ **:Henry Arlen Weasley-Potter...:”**_

 

“ _ **:For as long as Breath remains in my body:”**_

 

“ _ **:So I say it...:”**_

 

“ _ **:SO LET IT BE DONE!:”**_

 

As the final syllable of 'Done' was uttered, the soft glow surrounding them increased instantly into a blinding flash of golden light. The flash of light was accompanied by a loud _snap_ of the protective circle instantly dissipating. A startled cry went out from all three of them because none of them were prepared for it. Harry, now renamed Henry, continued to fearfully cry as Charlie and Rashikira blinked the spots from their vision. When the spots cleared away and their vision returned to normal, their attention was focused on the very fussy and unhappy infant in Charlie's arms. Both of them gasped at the physical changes in their young charge.

 

“Um, Rashi?”

 

_:Y-yes?:_

 

“Is this supposed to happen?”

 

_:I was fairly sure it wouldn't, Charlie, but then again it HAS been a very long time since this has been done successfully:_

 

“Bu-but Rashi, LOOK at him! How is he supposed to go through life like this?”

 

He wanted to hold Henry at arms length so he could see all the changes made to his body, but the child wailed even louder so Charlie held him close and patted his back until he quieted down. When his cries were reduced to quiet sniffles, Charlie pried him off his shoulder so he could see the changes better. Henry started to resist, but when he realized that Charlie was still holding him close, decided to settle down and watch what was going on.

 

Charlie lifted Henry's right hand to look at his palm and check the cut that he made. To his surprise, not only was the cut healed completely, there wasn't even a trace of blood on his skin. Turning Henry's hand over, he came across one of the changes to the infant's physiology. On Henry's palm and extending down the inside of his forearm was normal human skin, but the back of his hands and the outside of his forearm were covered in small black scales. He lifted the sleeve of Henry's pajama top and saw that the scales continued up the outside of his arm. Charlie figured that the scales were interspersed with human skin all over Henry's body.

 

Dropping the sleeve, Charlie looked at the most visible and obvious changes. He was happy to note that Henry's hair was no longer completely black, but kind of a reddish-black, almost a dark maroon. It was definitely an interesting mix of Potter and Weasley hair. The other changes were much more drastic. Henry's eye color was now a mixture between his own green eyes and both Charlie's and Rashikira's blue ones. They were now a bright teal color but that wasn't what concerned Charlie. What was concerning to him is that Henry's eyes were now slit-pupilled, just like a dragon's. Henry's face had a smattering of scales mixed with human skin but what was even more startling was the buds of horns on his forehead and the large, black, fan-like ears that looked like dragon ears. Charlie sighed and looked at Rashikira.

 

“Rashi, just how is he going to fit in with his peers when he goes to school? I'm not sure if even a glamour will cover this up!” Charlie finished with an exasperated snarl.

 

_:Calm down, Charlie, I'm sure we'll figure something out by the time he goes to school:_ Rashikira kept her eyes on young Henry and smiled when she noticed the scales fading into his skin. _:Besides, I don't think that's going to be an issue anymore:_

 

Charlie's eyes went wide. “Not an issue? Just what do you mean by that, Rashi? LOOK AT HIM! Having scales, horns, dragon ears, and slit-pupilled eyes is NOT something that everyone is going to overlook!”

 

_:I AM looking at him, Charlie:_ Rashikira replied calmly. _:Maybe you should do the same:_ she finished with amusement in her voice.

 

When Charlie looked down at Henry, his jaw dropped open when he saw the scales fading into his skin, the large ears shrinking to normal size and color, the buds of the horns sinking into his forehead, and the slit pupils of his eyes rounding to human proportions. In less than a minute, all the dragon-like features disappeared leaving Henry looking like a normal human boy. It took another minute for Charlie to find his voice again.

 

“H-how...?”

 

_:How did this happen?:_ Rashikira asked gently. Charlie simply nodded in reply. _:I suspect that the magic of the adoption ritual wasn't completed when the flash occurred and the circle collapsed. The dragon part that is now in his blood first manifested itself on his skin, it just took a little longer for it to be absorbed into his body and his magic. He should look like a normal human child from now on:_

 

“Well, that's a bit of good news, at least he wouldn't have a problem fitting in because of his looks.” Charlie sighed in relief. He then tried addressing another concern. “What I don't understand is why he had black scales on his skin. Since you were the one to contribute the blood, shouldn't he be taking on some of your characteristics? After all, your scales are white just like your fur.”

 

_:I did say that he might take on some aspects of a dragon, Charlie:_ Rashikira said as she had a Dumbledore-like twinkle in her eye. _:I never said those characteristics would be mine. Obviously, since the scales that were on his body were black and his ears looked nothing like mine, I'd say that he would be quite a bit different than me when he decides to become an animagus. Of course, since he has a bit of dragon blood running through his veins now, the transformation should be easy for him:_

 

“Do you, by any chance, know just what kind of dragon he would become when he does complete his animagus training?”

 

_:There's no telling with the few clues we have. It will definitely be some kind of black dragon, but there are quite a few varieties of them around the world. There is just no way to know for certain, Charlie. I'm sorry:_ Rashikira bowed her head in sorrow, but Charlie placed his hand under her jaw and stroking her there while he gently lifted her head. The white dragon closed her eyes and purred in pleasure as he did this.

 

“Don't blame yourself, Rashi. As you said, there are not enough clues to go by. Although there is one thing for certain.”

 

_:What is that?:_ Rashikira asked as she rumbled pleasantly.

 

“He's going to give old Professor McGonagall fits when he finally goes to Hogwarts!”

 


End file.
